Five Truths on Technology, Creativity & the Power of Human Stories

June 11, 2023 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

A lot of headlines scream for our attention these days. Some caterwaul about how writers no longer have a place in the world. Others claim storytelling will be hijacked by modern technology. But here’s the truth rarely in the conversation: Creativity is the essence of humanity itself. It’s how we have survived. It’s how we endure. It’s how we thrive.

Artists and writers aren’t going away. The desire to create doesn’t flee our souls because of AI innovations.

Knowing how to tell a captivating story and, yes, even knowing the subtleties of grammar gives you an edge in business, in artistry, and in life. New tools arise, yet human creativity is stubborn and relentless. As an author of four books and counting, here’s what I know without a doubt:

Only you have your perspective, and that is too valuable to ignore.

My entire childhood and well into my adult life, I sought out further depth to my grandparents’ shared memories about Ukraine’s experience during World War II. I waited for it in history classes. I searched for it in libraries. Yet the specifics I had come to know so well weren’t there. So, what was a storyteller to do but to write it herself?

The Baba Yaga Mask, my fourth book and my debut novel, is inspired by my Ukrainian heritage. Its dual timelines move between 1941 Ukraine and a present-day hunt across Eastern Europe for a lost grandmother. There’s no database that could have shaped this story because it was built from decades of whispers, multi-generational art projects done side-by-side, fingers deep into well-loved recipes, and historical research with academics across the globe. Artificial intelligence can do powerful work, but it can’t capture something as human as your personal truth or your particular curiosities—not in the same way you could produce it. Don’t forget it for a second.

Writing your passions transforms creative sparks into flames.

When a writer cries, reader tears follow. When a writer’s fervor is on the page, the reader feels the vibrations.

Leaning into being human—your ardor, your unique voice, and your dogged preoccupations—this will be the continued differentiator. The familiar concept of “show don’t tell” reaches even more significant heights when you tap into your emotional reserves and life experience when crafting your stories. “Writing what you know” becomes a profound creative strategy when you pinpoint your unique interests that can add depth and distinction to the story that you and you alone can tell. No matter what you write, it’s true.

Self-editing and language refinement raise (not raze) possibilities.

Definitions of “raise” vs. “raze” aside, subtleties matter. But please stop yelling at each other about typos. Yes, this is coming from someone who literally wrote the book (a book) on grammar, Get a Grip on Your Grammar, which exists in ebook, paperback, and hardback editions, even having made its way into the Indian marketplace thanks to a HarperCollins India edition.

Along with our humanity comes the reality of making mistakes. Our goal should not be to decimate others when they occur. Our goal should be to continue advancing our skills and savvy, lifting each other up when possible.

Typos can slash like graffiti over our intentions. No matter what spellcheck or grammar software you use, it all comes back to the wielder of the tool, and that wielder is you. Use your energy not for negativity or defensiveness but to ensure you are empowering yourself and your own creative possibilities. Embracing intentional, meticulous self-editing is transformative. (And I have another editing resource for you if it helps.)

Technology will continue its disruptions.

Humans will always tell stories. It’s what we do, whether it’s stylus in clay, quill on parchment, tapping keys on a keyboard, or whispers into the night. Will there be extreme challenges around intellectual property and creative partnerships? Absolutely. We’re already seeing it. Will AI innovations disrupt publishing and the writing process itself? It’s likely so. But everything is not a doomsday tale. Remember, the beauty of illuminated manuscripts fell away with the advent of the printing press, but world literacy swelled.

Let’s stay abreast of the changing world, but let’s not panic. Our voices and words, our opinions and our stories, are needed more than ever, and I have faith we will find our way.

The creative life isn’t easy!

But did anyone think it would be?

I once had a college professor laugh in my face when I told him I wanted to pursue a career as an author. That laugh haunts and inspires me to this day. There are so many more productive ways to have a conversation about the challenges of a creative life. I honestly wish someone had broken them down for me earlier.

We know the hurdles of finishing a book and gaining that first publication. The variance of royalty distributions and differing payment structures across traditional publishing, indie publishing, and everything in between, is something for any writer to examine further. Marketing is a part of an author’s life more expansively than most of us ever imagined. Becoming a part of the writing community allows for profound kinships and a support system like no other. There’s so much more to add, but for now, it all comes down to this:

Creativity will always endure, no matter what the headlines scream or what innovations might follow. So, let’s pay attention but keep striving to discover our unique contributions to the literary landscape. Leaning into our humanity is a celebration of hope, determination, and imagination—and what represents the writers of the world more than that?

Further notes:

THE BABA YAGA MASK

When their Ukrainian grandmother is lost on a trans-Atlantic Flight, two sisters are swept into a quest across eastern Europe to find the woman who had always told more tales than truths.

From Poland to Slovakia to Hungary and beyond, Larissa and Ira navigate the steps of Ukrainian folk dance, the cliff-side paths of Slovak Paradise National Park, and the stark realities of war, folktales, and feminism, all for the sake of chasing who they’re starting to believe is a true Baba Yaga. Understanding their family’s roots has never been more clear.

The setting’s mythic properties drift like ghosts in the humid air, hinting of the folktales the sisters whisper like codes of bravery. The nesting dolls they discover reveal how each woman becomes stronger when tucked one, within another, within another—forgetting lies and truths to seize upon history, love, and the familial traditions that have shaped them into who they are together.

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